Caesar Ascending-Conquest of Parthia
Page 59
The two exchanged a look then, one of perfect understanding and complicity. While Caesar was dreaming of conquest, Cicero and Antonius would be making their own plans.
Historical Note
As readers hopefully know by now, this is an alternative history; that being said, I do attempt to imbue this story with elements that are historical in nature, or at the very least, historically plausible. Whether I sufficiently accomplish this or not is up to you, my readers.
The tiny kingdom of Charax, for example, existed. Originally known as Durine, and founded by the Achaemenid Dynasty, it was rechristened by the Macedonian king Alexander, where it was rebuilt on an artificial hill, as Pella, in honor of the traditional Macedonian capital. Fairly soon thereafter, it received the name by which it is referred in Caesar Ascending-Conquest of Parthia, Charax, and while it experienced periods where it flourished under the rule of the Seleucid kings and was renamed Antiochus, by the time of this story, it was independent.
What I expect might cause my more historically astute readers to throw a metaphorical penalty flag (or for my European readers, raise a red card) is the solution for the perniciously flammable material naphtha, which caused Caesar, Titus, and the rest of the army so many problems in Caesar Ascending Invasion of Parthia. Although it’s true that vinegar is the only substance that can smother the flames created by naphtha, this was actually discovered during the period known as The Crusades, and not more than a thousand years earlier. I freely acknowledge this, and I beg the indulgence of my readers for this serendipitous discovery by some of Caesar’s immunes, earlier than it really happened.
As always, I “walked” the ground of modern-day Shush, along with carefully studying the terrain to the northwest, where Kambyses camps to shut off the supply line from Ctesiphon. Hopefully, this is reflected in the pages, but I want to assure the readers that, as I always do, I attempt to provide as accurate a description of the terrain as it’s possible to get. Not, it must be said, that there is much to describe.
The city of Susa itself is somewhat problematic, although the terrain around it is straightforward enough, and largely flat as a table. To get a sense of it, aside from Google® Earth, I availed myself of the scholarly edition of The Palace of Darius At Susa-The Great Royal Residence of Achaemenid Persia, edited by Jean Perrot and published by I.B. Taurus. Naturally, the period of Caesar Ascending covers a much later period, but I found it useful for visualizing what the city might have looked like, although I have been deliberately vague about specifics such as the extent of the outer walls, only because, as far as I could determine, like with so many cities, ancient and modern, the boundaries expanded.
Finally, as always, and as I learned with Caesar Triumphant, readers essentially have one of two reactions to an alternate history; they either love the idea or they hate it. And, honestly, that’s okay. More than anything, this project has allowed me to stay with characters I first created with the Marching With Caesar series, especially Titus, although Scribonius, Balbus, Diocles, and Porcinus are certainly part of me as much as Titus. And, of course, Gaius Julius Caesar; as always, Caesar fascinates me just as much as he has fascinated so many other people throughout the ages.